Iran’s foreign ministry denied reports of a meeting between the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, and Elon Musk, despite claims by the New York Times that such a meeting occurred earlier this week. According to the Times, the meeting took place in New York on Monday and lasted over an hour, with discussions centered on reducing tensions between Iran and the United States. The report cited two Iranian officials, but Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei strongly refuted the claims, expressing surprise at the coverage in US media.
The alleged meeting raised questions about Musk’s influence in US foreign policy, especially as he is closely associated with President-elect Donald Trump. Musk, the world’s richest person and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been involved in major US government contracts, including with NASA and the military. Just after the presidential election, Musk joined Trump on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where Zelensky thanked Musk for his support, particularly with communications through Starlink amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Additionally, Trump announced that Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration. This raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, given Musk’s extensive dealings with the US government. It remains unclear how the new department will function, or whether Congress, even under Republican control, would support such a significant overhaul of government spending and operations.
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